Portable dimmer board for electric lighting apparatus



Feb. 21, 1967 HY HILZEN 3,305,703

PORTABLE DIMMER BOARD FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25, 1965 INVENTOR, Hy Hilzen,

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,305,703 PORTABLE DEMMER BOARD FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTING APPARATUS Hy Hilzen, 1 Shore View Drive, Yonkers, N.Y. 10710 Filed Feb. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 434,579 1 Claim. (Cl. 317-99) The present invention relates to electrical lighting apparatus and more particularly to portable dimmer control boards for the lighting systems of stages, auditoriums, photography studios and the like.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved dimmer board of the character described which can be set up for use in dilTerent positions and various locations and which can be conveniently carried by traveling troupes, lecture room arrangers and the like and which takes up less space than was heretofore necessary for dimmers having the same number of outlets.

A further object thereof is to provide a novel and improved dimmer board casing construction wherein a single circumferential shoulder serves to locate the control panel inside the casing, and a cover outside.

A further object thereof is to provide novel and improved dimmer board construction of the character described, which is simple to manufacture, reasonable in cost and efiicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For one practice of this invention, the casing for the dimmer is a round box structure of sheet metal, having a handle of U-form on its perimetn'cal wall. The bottom wall is removable. A circumferential shoulder is formed both inside and outside the casing, by having the upper end of reduced diameter. The mouth rim of a shallow round dish, fitted as a partition, rests against the inner shoulder. All rheostats, switches and other control apparatus is mounted on the underside of said dished member, with their knobs and operating elements extending within said dished member, but not beyond the open top of the box. Preferably, a dished cover is provided to fit telescopically over the reduced end of said casing and rest on the exterior shoulder. The plates of a plurality of power outlets for the connection for the plugs leading from individual lighting circuits are arranged on the outside of the perimetrical wall, one next to one another around said wall at handle side, adjacent which the box wall is provided with vent openings. The handle is swingably mounted, its effective length is adjustable and holes are provided in the hand bar. Means are also provided to fix the handle at any desired angular relation with respect to the casing.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a dimmer board embodying the teachings of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken at line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1, showing the dimmer apparatus positioned in easel-manner, for use.

FIG. 4 is a front view of said apparatus, shown susaeuded in another use position.

In the drawing, the numeral designates the front dates of electrical outlets to receive male plugs of lines 3,305,703 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 for connection to the individual lighting circuits to be controlled by dimmer apparatus (not shown) which is housed in a round box structure indicated generally by the numeral 16. Said outlets are arranged close to each other along the periphery of the cylindrical wall 17 of the box. The box member 17 is tubular and its upper end section is of reduced diameter, thereby providing the internal shoulder 18, against which an inner panel 19 rests, and an outer shoulder 18', to serve as a stop for the skirt of a removable cover member 20. The operating shafts as 21 for the various pieces of the dimmer apparatus, extend through suitable holes in said panel 19, and the operating knobs as 22, 22 on said shafts, are within the reduced tubular section of the box structure 16, accessible for manipulation. The inclusion of a cover is optional and it may be a separate piece or hinged to the box structure. The box has a removable bottom wall 23 which is mounted after the dimmer apparatus and its accessories which are Well known, are mounted within the box 16.

The apparatus can be carried from place to place by its handle 24 which is a U-shaped member, each of whose arms has a lengthwise slot as 25, through which is the threaded shank of a knob screw 26. These screws are respectively threadedly set in the brackets 27 which are fixed on the peripheral wall 17 of the box structure. It is evident that the handle can swing at its distal ends when said knob said screws are anywhere along said slots. The set up may be either as an adjustable easel as shown in FIG. 3, or for suspension for temporary installation from a rafter by the screws 28 through the holes 29 in the base bar of the U-form: the screws 26 being tightened to hold the box structure rigid.

The outlets 15 being in angular relation with each other, offers a separate face, which is further illustration.

desired that the embodibe deemed merely illustrative presented by said the improvement being comprises a tubular member on a lane shaped handle, the distal ends of Whose arms extend to brackets fixed on the exterior of said tubular member adjacent said outlet plates region and substantially equidistant from the ends of said region; each of said arms having a longitudinal slot, said slots facing each other; screw means on said brackets extending through said slots respectively; said handle being swingable and slidable on said screws and means to releaseably fix said handle and screws to said brackets; said tubular member being circular and said region being of a length less than 10 a semicircle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,233,808 3/1941 Burke 207-157 2,710,338 6/1955 Svalgaard 240 -52 X 2,782,288 2/1957 Weld 339198 2,831,914 4/1958 Jacobs.

3,049,688 8/ 1962 Sinopoli 17458 X ROBERT K. SCHAEFER, Primary Examiner.

M. GINSBURG, Assistant Examiner. 

